Chemmeen Achar aka Kerala Style Prawn Pickle
Kerala Chemmeen Achar aka Kerala Style Prawn Pickle is a spicy seafood Pickle from the southern coastal region of India.
Servings: 8 People
Calories: 165kcal
Cost: Rs 250
Ingredients
- 500 g Small-Sized Prawn De-shelled and deveined
To marinate:
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 2 teaspoon Red Chili Powder I have used Kashmiri Red Chili Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 tablespoon Sliced Garlic
- 1 tablespoon Jullined Ginger
To Make the Pickle:
- 75 g Garlic Paste
- 50 g Ginger Paste
- 10 Green Chilies
- 20 Curry Leaves optional
- ⅔ cup White Vinegar
- 2 Tsp. Salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon Sugar optional
- 5 tablespoon Mustard Oil
To make the Spice Powder:
- ½ teaspoon Mustard Seed
- ½ teaspoon Fenugreek Seed
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Red Chili Powder
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
For Tempering:
- ½ teaspoon Mustard Seed
- ½ teaspoon Fenugreek Seed
Instructions
Marination of the Prawns:
- Use deshelled and deveined prawns while making the Prawn Pickle.
- Wash prawns thoroughly and marinate with Turmeric Powder, Red Chili Powder, and Salt.
- Add chopped Garlic and Julienned Ginger to the Prawn and lightly mix.
- Leave the marinated Prawns for 1 hour before making the Achar.
Spice Mix:
- Make a coarse powder of Mustard Seed, Fenugreek Seed, and Black Pepper and mix in Turmeric Powder and Red Chili Powder.
To Make the Pickle:
- Heat Oil in a Pan and fry the marinated prawns in low flame and fry.
- Keep aside the fried Prawns.
- Temper the oil remaining in the pan with Mustard Seed and Fenugreek Seed.
- When the seeds crackles add Curry Leaves and cook till those turn crisp.
- Add Ginger and Garlic Paste followed by chopped Green Chili.
- Cook in low flame till the raw aroma of ginger and garlic goes.
- Add 1 Tbsp. of the Spice, Powder prepared previously along with salt Chili Powder and Turmeric Powder.
- Mix properly and cook till oil comes out from the side of the mixture.
- Add Vinegar and 3 Tbsp. of water to the mixture and cook until the mixture starts boiling.
- Now add the sugar. This is completely optional however it balances the flavors.
- Now add Prawns and cook in low flame by covering the pan until the gravy thickens.
- Stir in between and adjust the spices if required.
- Cook until the pickle reaches desired consistency.
- Let the pickle cooled completely and store in an airtight container,
- It is better to store the Pickle container in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Because this is a pickle recipe, expect it to be extra salty, sour, and spicy! Feel free to adjust the ingredients to your liking.
- I like using small prawns for this Achar, but medium-sized ones work just as well. You can even use shrimp instead of prawns if you prefer.
- For the best flavor, I recommend mustard oil, but vegetable oil is a fine substitute.
- While it's not traditionally used, I like to add a touch of sugar to balance out the intense flavors. This is entirely optional.
- You can also adjust the amount of oil. I generally use about 1 tablespoon of oil for every 100 grams of prawns.
Nutrition
Serving: 112g | Calories: 165kcal | Carbohydrates: 8.3g | Protein: 10.8g | Fat: 9.5g | Saturated Fat: 1.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.318g | Trans Fat: 0.015g | Cholesterol: 122mg | Sodium: 526mg | Fiber: 1.1g | Sugar: 1.7g
